Antimicrobial Potential of Organic Phenolic Compounds from Wild Mushroom Extracts: Impact on Proliferation and Kinetic Growth of Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains

Extracts derived from various mushroom species have been documented to possess notable antimicrobial properties. However, the current corpus of knowledge pertaining to the precise evaluation of their structural characteristics is currently inadequate. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was undertaken to ascertain the antimicrobial attributes and effectiveness of phenolic compounds, such as ferulic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, rutin, quercetin, gallic p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and protocatechuic acid, identified from P. ostreatus. These compounds were examined for potential antiproliferative properties against multidrug-resistant gonococcal clinical isolates. The results of this study revealed that p-hydroxybenzoic acid, o-coumaric acid, and chysin exhibited no antibacterial activity (MIC > 50 µg/ml) against any of the target N. gonorrhoeae isolates in the range of tested concentrations (0.1–50 µg/ml). A notable reduction in the growth activity of the target organisms was observed when subjected to cultivation in the presence of flavonoid compounds. The statistical significance of the parameter estimate for quercetin was observed at intercept (ISID 59), with a p value less than 0.0001 and a Chi-square value of 44.84. The combination of ferulic acid with either protocatechuic acid or p-coumaric acid showed a trend towards reduced antimicrobial efficacy against most target isolates. However, our findings highlight its remarkable promise, as quercetin exhibited both independent and cooperative effectiveness.